第八章（第7/8页）

A wet brown dog came running and did not bark, lifting a wet feather of a tail. The man followed in a wet black oilskin jacket, like a chauffeur, and face flushed a little. She felt him recoil in his quick walk, when he saw her. She stood up in the handbreadth of dryness under the rustic porch. He saluted without speaking, coming slowly near. She began to withdraw.

一只棕色的猎犬跑过来，全身湿淋淋的，它没叫，只是竖着湿尾巴。守林人跟在后面，身上的黑油布外衣沾满雨水，看上去像个司机，脸微微泛红。她发觉他看到自己时，快速的脚步略有放缓。她站起身，立在粗制门廊下那巴掌大小的干地方。他行了礼，但却没有做声，只是慢慢走近。她开始后退。

"I'm just going," she said.

“我正打算走。”她说。

"Was yer waitin' to get in?" he asked, looking at the hut, not at her.

“恁等着进屋呢？”他问道，视线投向小屋，而没有看她。

"No, I only sat a few minutes in the shelter," she said, with quiet dignity.

“不，我只是坐在这里避会儿雨。”她轻声说，语调沉稳，不卑不亢。

He looked at her. She looked cold.

他看着她。她似乎很冷。

"Sir Clifford 'and't got no other key then?" he asked.

“克利福德爵士没有备用钥匙？”他问。

"No, but it doesn't matter. I can sit perfectly dry under this porch. Good afternoon!” She hated the excess of vernacular in his speech.

“是的，不过没关系。我坐在门廊下照样可以避雨。再见！”她不愿听到他没完没了的土话。

He watched her closely, as she was moving away. Then he hitched up his jacket, and put his hand in his breeches pocket, taking out the key of the hut.

她向外走，他则紧盯着她。接着，他掀起外衣，把手伸进裤兜，拿出小屋的钥匙。

"'Appen yer'd better 'ave this key, an'Ah min fend for t'bods some other road.” She looked at him.

“钥匙还是恁收着吧，俺换个地方养鸡就成。”她回望他。

"What do you mean?" she asked. "I mean as'appen Ah can find anuther pleece as'll du for rearin' th'pheasants. If yer want ter be 'ere, yo'll non want me messin'abaht a'th'time.’ She looked at him, getting his meaning through the fog of the dialect.

“你说这话什么意思？”她问。“俺是说另找个地儿养鸡。要是恁在这儿歇脚，肯定不想俺来添乱。”她看着他，从那云山雾罩的土语中，分辨出他的意思。

"Why don't you speak ordinary English?" she said coldly.

“你为何不说标准英语？”她冷冷地问。

"Me! Ah thowt it WOR ordinary." She was silent for a few moments in anger.

“俺！俺以为自个儿说的就是呢。”她气得半晌没说出话来。

"So if yer want t'key, yer'd better tacit. Or 'appen Ah'd better gi'e 't yer termorrer, an'clear all t'stuff aht fust. Would that du for yer?” She became more angry.

“恁想要钥匙，拿走好了。或者俺明天给恁，容俺先把这儿拾掇拾掇。恁看成不？”她更生气了。

"I didn't want your key," she said. "I don't want you to clear anything out at all. I don't in the least want to turn you out of your hut, thank you! I only wanted to be able to sit here sometimes, like today. But I can sit perfectly well under the porch, so please say no more about it.” He looked at her again, with his wicked blue eyes.

“我不要你的钥匙。”她说。“也没想过让你收拾东西。我从没想要把你从这里赶走，谢谢你的好意！我只是想能偶尔过来坐坐，就像今天一样。可坐在门廊下，我同样可以怡然自得，所以，请你不要再说下去。”他那两只顽皮的蓝眼睛再度望向她。

"Why," he began, in the broad slow dialect. "Your Ladyship's as welcome as Christmas ter th' hut an' th' key an'iverythink as is. On'y this time O' th' year ther's bods ter set, an' Ah've got ter be potterin' abaht a good bit, seein' after 'em, an' a’. Winter time Ah ned 'ardly come nigh th'pleece. But what wi'spring, an'Sir Clifford wantin'ter start th'pheasants… An'your Ladyship'd non want me tinkerin'around an'about when she was 'ere, all the time.” She listened with a dim kind of amazement.

“呃，”他那缓慢浓重的土腔再度登场，“夫人大驾光临，理应受到圣诞节般的欢迎，小屋也罢，钥匙也罢，所有的一切都是恁的。只不过，这时节适合饲养野鸡，俺得忙这忙那，把它们照料得妥妥当当。入冬以后，俺就很少来这儿了。可等到春暖花开，克利福德爵士会在让俺养窝野鸡……夫人来这里散心，自然不会愿意看到俺摇来晃去。”她听完，心里暗暗吃惊。

"Why should I mind your being here?" she asked.

“你在这里干活，又碍着我什么呢？”她问。

He looked at her curiously.

他望着她，表情古怪。

"T'nuisance on me!" he said briefly, but significantly. She flushed. "Very well!" she said finally. "I won't trouble you. But I don't think I should have minded at all sitting and seeing you look after the birds. I should have liked it. But since you think it interferes with you, I won't disturb you, don't be afraid. You are Sir Clifford's keeper, not mine.” The phrase sounded queer, she didn't know why. But she let it pass.

“俺觉得自己碍事！”他的回答简练，但却意味深长。她的脸泛起红潮。“好吧！”她最后说。“我不会打搅你。但我并不介意坐在这里，看你伺弄野鸡。我反倒喜欢这样。可既然你认为这会干扰到你，我会尽量不妨碍你干活，请不必担心。雇佣你做守林人的，是克利福德爵士，而不是我。”她也不晓得自己为何一反常态，说出这样一番言论。但她已经顾不得多做思考。

"Nay, your Ladyship. It's your Ladyship's own'ut. It's as your Ladyship likes an'pleases, every time. Yer can turn me off at a wik's notice. It wor only...” "Only what?" she asked, baffled.

“别介，夫人。这小屋本就归夫人所有。夫人喜欢何时光临都没问题。恁大可提前一周通知我卷铺盖走人。只不过……”“不过什么？”她不明其意，问道。

He pushed back his hat in an odd comic way.

他把帽子往后推推，动作颇为滑稽。

"On'y as 'appen yo'd like the place ter yersen, when yer did come, an'not me messin'abaht.” "But why?" she said, angry. "Aren't you a civilized human being? Do you think I ought to be afraid of you? Why should I take any notice of you and your being here or not? Why is it important?” He looked at her, all his face glimmering with wicked laughter.